Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that the revised norms announced for the entrance examinations to professional courses may be withdrawn.
Talking to the media after a meeting of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said the Ministers were of the view that the old norms, including minimum mark stipulations, should be restored. A decision in this respect would be taken by the Education Minister in consultation with officials.
On the remarks of Government Chief Whip P.C. George that the underlying problems leading to growth of Maoists should be addressed instead of using force against them, Mr. Chandy said it was the personal opinion of Mr. George. Maintenance of law and order was of paramount importance for the government. The government cannot fail in maintenance of the law and order, which was a priority.
He said the government was for appointment of Jiji Thomson as Chief Secretary when the post became vacant. That Mr. Thomson was an accused in the palmolein case would not be in the way of his appointment.
Another accused in the case, P. J. Thomas, had been appointed as Chief Secretary by the LDF government. The case involved only technical lapses as the State had actually profited from the import of palmolein from Malaysia. He said the work on all stadia for the national games was complete. Arrangements for the games were progressing smoothly, he said brushing aside reports to the contrary.
